Government to extend cut-off date
eligibility
MUMBAI: Residents of the deprived Dharavi area here have claimed
victory after the Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Maharashtra
government to extend to January 1, 2000 the cut-off date for those
eligible for rehabilitation under the proposed Dharavi Redevelopment
Project.
Dharavi, termed Asia’s largest slum, is all set for a massive
redevelopment programme for which global tenders were invited last
year. Initially only those with valid proof of residence up to January
1, 1995 were considered eligible for resettlement under the project.
However, a coalition of citizens’ groups under the umbrella of the
Dharavi Bachao Andolan has been demanding that the cut-off date be
extended to January 1, 2000 to accommodate more people living in
Dharavi.
With the Supreme Court decision, the figure has gone up to 87,200
families from the initial 57,000 families that were entitled to
rehabilitation, according to Ravindra Adsure, standing counsel for
Maharashtra in the Supreme Court.
Recently, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh held a meeting with leaders
of political parties in the Assembly and considered the demands of the
Andolan — which included increasing the area of the houses which will
be given to residents from 225 sq ft to 400 sq ft.
Mr. Raju Korade of the Andolan said that the Chief Minister principally
accepted the demand for dwellings of up to 400 sq ft and that the
government would put forward the demand to extend the cut-off date to
January 1, 2000.
The estate property belonging to the city municipal corporation which
included various buildings would be considered for more space of up to
753 sq ft in the rehabilitation programme, as provided for in the
development control rules, the Chief Minister had said.
The redevelopment project faced resistance from local residents, and
political parties such as the Shiv Sena, the BJP and the CPI(M),
voluntary and business organisations took out protest rallies.
Now the State government is considering some of the proposals put
forward by the Andolan, and the Supreme Court’s decision to extend the
cut-off date, which will benefit 30,000 families, was a victory for the
people, said Mr. Korade.
Mr. Adsure told The Hindu that under the Slum Rehabilitation Act, 1971,
the government had the power to extend the cut-off date for slums to be
regularised in projects of public importance.
Under the Act, slum-dwellers were entitled to a 225-sq-feet house free
of cost. However, a petition challenging certain development control
rules and other matters was filed in the Bombay High Court and it had
ruled in 2006 that the cut-off date of January 1, 1995 for regularising
slums should not be extended. This was challenged by the Maharashtra
government in the apex court.
The government viewed the Dharavi project as a project of vital
importance and the bidders had raised questions regarding the number of
people who were expected to be rehabilitated, Mr. Adsure said.
They also wanted more clarity before undertaking the project. The
Maharashtra government moved an application keeping in mind the urgency
of the matter since the bids have to be finalised soon. The apex
court’s stay on the Bombay High Court ruling applies only to the
Dharavi project.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040659271100.htm
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© 2008, The Hindu.
